13: Susan Westwater | Your Content Guide to Voice-First

An episode of The Artificial Podcast

The Artificial Podcast is a weekly podcast series that breaks down trending topics in the world of AI and #VoiceFirst so everyone can understand how these technologies are impacting our lives personally and within organizations. We interview and showcase experts from across the industry who are making waves in AI and Voice, and who are actively working to innovate the space every day. We cater to an audience of everyone, but specifically, those actively working in AI and Voice, marketers, IT leaders, and tech-savvy business professionals. The Artificial Podcast is brought to you by RedFox AI.

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Andrew Butow is a Radical Change Coach who founded Earth2Mars to help people find their space in the universe and make a difference in the world. With over 15 years of personal, technology, and organizational change experience her brings together the best of business, consulting, design-thinking, and behavioral science to any challenge, big, small, or somewhere in between because everyone deserves a place in the future.
In this week’s episode of The Artificial Podcast, Nick interviews Andrew Butow of earth2mars about technology, Artificial Intelligence, and how both are actively shaping our future with everyone taking part whether they realize it or not. Andrew talks about his work with Earth2Mars and how he is on a mission to help organizations and the leaders in them prepare for the future of work with Artificial Intelligence. Nick and Andrew discuss how everyone is actively taking part in the training and coaching of AI through social media, mobile apps, and voice assistant technology. Andrew shares his thoughts for the future and explains how anyone can start learning today about these technologies and prepare for our inevitable future.
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nick.myers@redfox-ai.com. Follow The Artificial Podcast on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theartificialpodcast/.
How to connect with Andrew:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abutow1/
Instagram: @butowful
Learn more about Earth2Mars:
Website: https://earth2mars.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Earth2Mars2/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earth2marsoffical/
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfox-ai.com.

This week The Artificial Podcast is taking a break due to the Labor Day Holiday. Next week we will return with an all new episode featuring Andrew Butow from earth2mars sharing his thoughts on the future of technology and Artificial Intelligence. After that, Stuart Crane from Voice Metrics will be talking about Voice and some of the projects that he has been working on.
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nick.myers@redfox-ai.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfox-ai.com.

Jeremy Wilken is the host of the Design for Voice podcast and has been recognized by SoundHound as a top influencer in Voice. He currently works as a software engineer for VMware and as a voice developer and designer. He is also a Google Developer Expert for the Google Assistant, web technologies, and Angular. His key interests are how users and technology intersect, and how to ensure that best experiences for all users using modern technology.
In this week’s episode of The Artificial Podcast, Nick chats with Jeremy Wilken about what’s it been like navigating the Voice-First space as both a designer and a developer. Jeremy talks about how the Amazon Echo and watching his wife and kids use the device ultimately led him to get involved in the Voice space. He also dives into some of the challenges that he has had to face being a designer and developer in such a new niche of technology, as well as discusses some of the projects that he ad worked on to help him become a better Voice User Interface designer and developer. To round things out, Nick and Jeremy discuss the ever-growing concern of data privacy and Jeremy explains some steps that everyone in the Voice-First space can take today to start designing for Voice with privacy in mind.
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nick.myers@redfox-ai.com.
How to connect with Jeremy:
Twitter: @gnomeontherun
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfox-ai.com.

Noelle LaCharite is currently a Principal Project Manager for Microsoft Search, Assistant, and Intelligence. She is passionate about Mindful Leadership, work-life harmony, and empowering people to reach their potential through technology. She also specializes in helping brands develop AI and Voice Strategy through the AI Leadership Institute which she founded. She has spent many years as a trainer, architect, and evangelist for IBM, RedHat, EMC, Amazon, and now Microsoft. She has taught thousands of people the value and important of Conversational AI, voice technology, Democratizing AI, and mindful leadership having delivered keynotes and hosting workshops at conferences and events around the world. She was recently named as the #3 Top Influencer in Voice by Voicebot.ai.
In this week’s episode of The Artificial Podcast Nick returns from his trip to Australia to share his interview with Noelle LaCharite! If it has to do with tech Nick and Noelle talk about it in this episode. Noelle shares her journey and experiences as a woman in tech and provides some tips on how anyone can get involved in the tech space if they truly want to. Noelle also talks about AI and Voice diving into her experiences at IBM, being a part of the original Alexa team at Amazon, and her various roles at Microsoft working in Applied AI and with Cortana. To close, Nick and Noelle talk about diversity and ethics in AI and why they are so important in the fight to keep the technology free from unconscious bias.
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nick.myers@redfox-ai.com.
How to connect with Noelle:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noellelacharite/
Twitter: @NoelleLaCharite
AI Leadership Institute: http://aileadershipinstitute.com/
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfox-ai.com.

For the next two weeks Nick will be taking a break from posting new episodes of The Artificial Podcast. Nick and Brett will be traveling to Sydney, Australia to host a workshop on Google Actions and Conversational Design, and Nick will be delivering the international keynote at the Australia and New Zealand Social Media Marketing Summit.
The Artificial Podcast will return on August 18th with a new episode featuring Noelle LaCharite from Microsoft and the AI Leadership Institute.
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nick.myers@redfox-ai.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfox-ai.com.

Susan Westwater is a co-founder of Pragmatic Digital, an experience consultancy who helps clients navigate the modern digital landscape to develop solutions that are relevant to clients’ customers and business. Susan uses customer-centric approaches and content strategy skill sets to achieve business growth. That same approach fuels Pragmatic's mission to develop Voice experiences that are useful and usable. With a career that includes agency and client-side experience, Susan has managed global, national and regional brand launches and content initiatives across a range of industries. She is also a leadership member of Women in Voice.
In this week’s episode of The Artificial Podcast, Nick chats with Susan Westwater about developing content for Voice-First platforms like Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and Cortana. Susan shares her insights as a content strategist and offers some amazing tips that brands can begin using today to create their own “Sonic Brand” across the various Voice-First ecosystem. Susan also shares some best practices when it comes to strategizing for Voice and explains why audio-based content has seen such rapid growth over the last 5 years.
How to contact Susan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanjwestwater/
Twitter: @SJW75
Email: susan@pragmatic.digital
Website: https://pragmatic.digital
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfox-ai/com.

Bob Stolzberg has been recognized by Amazon as an Alexa Champion and is a leading subject matter expert in the voice industry. Bob has a deep enterprise IT background that spans 20+ years. Prior to VoiceXP, Bob was a RedHat Certified Engineer and considered a subject matter expert on Cloud Computing, Cloud Migration, Disaster Recovery, and Business Continuity. Bob was an executive at CenturyLink where he managed the cloud ecosystem and evangelism programs, Cloud Marketplace, and a product owner for managed services. Bob recently became a water lily farmer in the Missouri Ozark Mountains and since has relocated himself and his family to the country.
In this week’s episode of The Artificial Podcast, Nick chats with Bob Stolzberg about how easy it can be to develop Voice-First experiences on Alexa using SaaS platforms like VoiceXP. Nick and Bob talk about what makes VoiceXP different from other SaaS platforms, and why the time is now for organizations, of any size, to begin experimenting with and creating their own Voice-First experiences. Bob also dives into the business of Voice-First and shares his experience as being one of the first people to start leveraging voice assistant technology to create a sustainable business model that can scale.
How to contact Bob:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bstolzberg/
Twitter: @BobStolzberg
Learn more about VoiceXP:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/voicexp-inc./
Twitter: @VoiceXPInc
Website: https://www.voicexp.com/
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfox-ai/com.

In this week’s episode of The Artificial Podcast Nick talks about the “Technological Singularity” and why you need to care. Nick dives into the origins of the singularity and how it managed to become popularized so quickly in the world of AI. Nick also reveals when the singularity is expected to happen and discusses the ramifications (both good and bad) of what humanity could be facing if the singularity becomes a reality. Since this is a solo episode Nick’s editor, producer, and best friend Brett Brooks returns to chat with Nick and share his thoughts on what the world could look like in a world where machines are more intelligent than human beings.
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

Dave Kemp is the Business Development Manager for Oaktreek Products which is a leading provider of clinical supplies to the hearing care industry. Dave became fascinated with voice technology in 2016 as he realized that it was becoming more feasible to access smart assistants through Bluetooth hearing aids that were just beginning to come to market. In 2017, Dave launched his blog FuturEar.co where he authors a daily update on all things hearables, hearing aids, and voice technology.
In this week’s episode of The Artificial Podcast Nick chats with Dave about the history and some of the new advances being made in hearable technology. Nick and Dave talk about the rise of the Apple Airpods and the critical role that they play in expanding Voice-First tech into the hearables space. They also touch on Voice-First as a whole and what the future could look like in a world where Voice is ubiquitous in our daily lives.
How to contact Dave:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-kemp-03016127/
Twitter: @Oaktree_dave
Learn more about FuturEar.Co:
Website: https://futurear.co/
Alexa Flash Briefing: https://www.amazon.com/Witlingo-Future-Ear-Radio/dp/B07PL9X5WK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=future+ear+radio&qid=1552337687&s=digital-skills&sr=1-1-catcorr
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

Brielle Nickoloff is Lead of Product Marketing at Witlingo, a Washington D.C. based startup that builds products and solutions for Voice-First devices and platforms including Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana. Brielle earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Linguistics and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado – Boulder. Much of Brielle’s research in the space began with a closer look at the ways one’s emotional reaction to a voice interface is notably more inflated than reactions to other types of user interfaces. She loves design for maximally accessible and minimally intrusive technology by leveraging the beauty of natural human language.
In this week’s episode of The Artificial Podcast Nick speaks with Brielle Nickoloff on the linguistics behind some of today’s most popular voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and Cortana. Nick and Brielle talk about the variation in voice assistant product launches by country, and how Google Assistant is better positioned to become the “Global” voice assistant vs. Alexa. Nick and Brielle also touch on hearable technology and why this is so substantial to the overall growth of the Voice-First industry. Brielle also talks about her role at Witlingo and dives into why the platform is one of the leading SaaS solutions for designing and building for Voice.
How to contact Brielle:
Email: Nickoloff.brielle@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brielle-nickoloff/
Twitter: @ElleForLanguage
Learn more about Witlingo:
Website: https://www.witlingo.com/
Twitter: @witlingo
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: @therednickm
Instagram: @therednickm
Want to learn more about how RedFox AI can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

Sometimes, technology can be scary. With the the concept of Artificial Intelligence becoming more mainstream in both the media and every day conversation the same question from all sides seems to keep appearing: "Is AI going to take my job?" With the rise of automation and robotics many blue collar jobs in manufacturing and assembly have already been outmoded. Can the same thing happen across the board to white collar jobs as well?
In this week’s episode Nick talks about how Artificial Intelligence is poised to end work as we know it…. however, not in the way that you are probably thinking. Much like the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th and early 20th centuries many jobs will become obsolete while creating opportunity for jobs that we may not even realize could exist. Nick also talks about the current state of work in 2019, and why the concept of “work” itself is expected to change. Nick dives into what industry’s are anticipated to change the most as we head into the new era of AI and machines, and how people within these industries can start preparing TODAY for this unprecedented technological wave. To wrap things up, Nick shares what he thinks the future purpose of humanity will be once AI and machines are able to run everything and fundamentally change society as we know it.
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/therednickm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therednickm/
Want to learn more about how RedFox Creative can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

Gordon Collier is a 20+ year talent acquisition and recruitment professional. During his career Gordon has been witness to multiple shifts in how employers source talent; the internet, social media, mobile, and now AI and Voice-First. Gordon is actively placing himself at the forefront of this new technological wave leveraging the power of podcasting and VoiceTech for recruitment.
In this week’s episode Nick chats with Gordon Collier about the future of recruitment and what role AI, specifically Voice-First, will play in how employers search for talent and likewise how employees vet employers. Gordon dives into how Voice-First is poised to provide an authenticity to recruitment that has yet to be seen in the current tools. Gordon also talks about his new Alexa Skill, My Career FIT, that gives employers an opportunity to authentically talk about their available jobs and why employees would want to work there, as well as consolidates the job search process for prospective employees. Gordon also discusses what it has been like to see recruitment evolve over the past 20 years with the rise of the internet, social media, and mobile, and even shares the origin story of a little-known job search website called Monster.com.
How to Contact Gordon:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgordoncollier/
Twitter: @Hashtagrecruitr
Learn More About My Career FIT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mycareerfit
Instagram: @Mycareerfit
Twitter: @Mycareerfit
Alexa Skills Store: https://amzn.to/2RgaZ8E
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/therednickm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therednickm/
Want to learn more about how RedFox Creative can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

Brett Brooks is the Chief Technology Officer for RedFox AI (formerly RedFox Creative). Since January of 2019 Brett has been working with RedFox AI to develop custom Alexa Skills and Google Actions for brands. Nick and Brett have been good friends for nearly a decade. Brett started working with Nick back in December of 2017 and was Nick’s first business partner in what is now RedFox AI.
In this week's episode, Nick sits down with Brett Brooks to talk about what it's like to learn Voice-First programming from scratch. Brett talks about he learned to program in JavaScript and Node.JS for Alexa and Google Assistant with no relevant background in computer science or software development. Brett shares his insight on how anyone can begin learning to program and create custom apps for voice assistants using resources like YouTube, Stackflow, GitHub, and even basic Google search. Nick and Brett also dive into what it was like to create a custom Alexa Skill for a large event and what they learned (and how they failed) from the experience.
How to contact Brett:
Email: brettb@redfoxcreate.com
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/therednickm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therednickm/
Want to learn more about how RedFox Creative can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

Nick: “Hey, Google. What do you think about Alexa?”
Google: “I like Alexa’s cool blue light and we both have an affinity for Star Wars.”
Nick: “Well. It’s nice to see that voice assistants can treat one another with more respect than humans can.”
Yes. This week’s episode is all about the Google Assistant. Much like Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s AI powered Assistant has quickly become a household name across the U.S and the world. Google Assistant currently resides in more than one billion Android OS powered smartphones globally, and Google is quickly working to position Google Assistant as the go to voice assistant for all things search, and the as almost too human sounding AI that can book you a hair appointment and make a reservation at your favorite Chinese restaurant all without you having to lift a finger.
In this episode of The Artificial Podcast Nick dives into the world of Google Assistant to explain how the technology works, where it came from, and the future holds.
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/therednickm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therednickm/
Want to learn more about how RedFox Creative can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

Ming Johanson focuses on communication and culture within businesses helping them to deconstruct complex technologies and transform organizations for future focus. Ming is a a regular radio and television contributor in Australia on the topics of tech and social media. Ming is also an elected board member for the Australian Computer Society and a champion for diversity and mental health in business, startup, and leadership circles.
In this week's episode, Nick sits down with Ming to discuss the topic of accessibility when it comes to AI and Voice-First, and why keeping these technologies accessible for all will be fundamental to their success. Ming and Nick also touch on AI for social media, it's impact, and why government's around the world need to consider treating these social media platforms as another form of regulated media.
How To Contact Ming:
Website: https://www.mingjohanson.com.au/
Email: snacks@mingjohanson.com.au
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mingjohanson/
Twitter: @mingjohanson
Interested in becoming a guest or submitting a topic idea? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick On:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/therednickm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therednickm/
Want to learn more about how RedFox Creative can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

“Alexa, what’s the weather looking like today?” “Alexa, I need toilet paper.” “Alexa, what’s the meaning of life?”
If you haven’t already guessed this week’s episode is all about Alexa. Since 2014 Amazon’s smart voice assistant has become a household name across the U.S. As of this year, more than 100 million Alexa enabled Echo devices have been sold across the globe. So, what exactly is Alexa and why has she taken the world by storm? In this episode of The Artificial Podcast we dive into all things Alexa to understand what truly makes her tick.
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/therednickm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therednickm/
Want to learn more about how RedFox Creative can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

Scot Westwater is the Co-Founder and Lead Voice Strategist for Pragmatic Digital. With more than 20+ years of experience helping Fortune 500 brands solve business problems by understanding customers needs, Scot knows a thing or two about how to properly engage with customers; especially when it comes to emerging technology like Alexa and Google Assistant.
In this week’s episode, Nick sits down with Scot to discuss the impact that Voice-First is having on marketing and how businesses need to be begin reacting on order to stay ahead. If your brand has not yet started optimizing for the new voice search ecosystem, then you may already be behind. Scot also shares why learning to provide value to customers via voice platforms is crucial to the long-term success of the technology and continued consumer adoption.
*Note: When Nick and Scot discuss Gary Vaynerchuck the language used is verbatim from Gary himself. Just watch Gary talk. You'll see what we mean.
How to contact Scot:
Website: https://www.pragmatic.digital/
Email: scot@pragmatic.digital
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotwestwater/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/scotwestwater
What do you want to learn about in the world of AI and Voice-First? Interested in becoming a guest? Send an email to Nick Myers at nickm@redfoxcreate.com.
Follow Nick on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-myers-15290359/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/therednickm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therednickm/
Want to learn more about how RedFox Creative can help give your brand a voice through the power of AI and Voice-First? Visit https://redfoxcreate.com.

In the first episode of The Artificial Podcast Nick dives headfirst into AI and explains what it’s all about. From the first official AI program, to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moore’s Law, AGI and Narrow AI, to the Google Duplex Nick breaks down the origins of AI and the current state of the technology in 2019.